African American Donald E. 'Little Donald' Coty, Jr. was a twenty-year-old male whose life was cut short in a violent incident in Kansas City, Missouri. On the evening of Tuesday, January 10, 2017, police officers were dispatched to the intersection of 12th Street and The Paseo following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival around 8:45 p.m., first responders discovered a black vehicle stopped in the roadway facing northbound.
The car was sitting idle with its engine still running and the passenger-side door standing open, suggesting a hasty departure by at least one occupant.
The vehicle itself bore the marks of the violence that had occurred, with numerous bullet holes visible on the exterior. Inside, officers found Donald Coty in the driver's seat, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the arrival of paramedics who attempted to administer first aid, his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators at the time noted that it was likely another individual had been in the car with Coty prior to the shooting and had fled the scene on foot before authorities arrived.
The investigation into his death, recorded as case number 17-2518 by the Kansas City Police Department, was categorized as a homicide. In the years following the incident, the case has been featured in lists of unsolved homicides in the area. Publicly available reports indicate that no suspects have been formally charged or convicted in connection with his murder, and the second occupant believed to have fled the vehicle was not immediately apprehended. Donald was remembered by his family as a beloved son and brother, affectionately known as 'Little Donald,' who preceded his father in death.
